Chapter 4: A Chaotic Start

“It’s orientation day, so I won’t take too much time.”

Whish, whish.

Professor Huriju warmed up by swinging a practice wooden sword.

Her squirrel-like ears and fluffy tail caught everyone’s attention.

Finally, when she had finished stretching, she swung her sword with the speed of lightning.

“Haaap!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sword literally sliced through the air, creating gusts with each strike.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the professor’s movements.

Her fluid motions resembled a dance.

Combined with her bouncy, squirrel-like rhythm, it created a mesmerizing spectacle that was impossible to look away from.

Time seemed to pass unnoticed.

The seemingly endless flow of her sword strikes came to a halt.

Surveying the awestruck freshmen, Professor Huriju grinned.

“The sword techniques I just showed you are what you’ll be learning throughout this semester!”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking refreshed.

As soon as she finished speaking, the freshmen began glancing at one another nervously.

Sion was no exception.

‘How are we supposed to learn that in just half a year…?’

The swordsmanship looked deceptively simple.

But when something appeared easy, it often meant the person performing it was exceptionally skilled.

“That’s it for today’s orientation! Starting next time, we’ll dive right into sword training, so make sure to wear comfortable clothes!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The students cheered at the thought of an early dismissal.

Future problems could always be left to their future selves.

The students quickly scattered once again.

“Wow, I did a bit of sword training as a kid, but the professor is on a whole different level.”

“Patrick, you’ve actually swung a sword before?”

“Yeah, I picked it up here and there from my older brother. I was mostly his punching bag, though. What about you?”

“…Not really.”

Sion scratched the back of his head.

In his previous life, the only blades he had held were kitchen knives and box cutters.

He hadn’t even taken martial arts lessons, let alone attended a swordsmanship academy.

“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s just an elective, right?”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

“Let’s grab something to eat. The academy’s cafeteria has a great reputation.”

Sion and Patrick made their way to the student cafeteria.

Divided by grade level, the cafeteria was bustling with people.

‘I came here yesterday, but it still doesn’t feel real. How is this free?’

The buffet-style setup allowed students to take as much food as they wanted, all at no cost as long as they could prove their enrollment.

Sion couldn’t help but think modern universities could learn a thing or two from this system.

There were familiar Western-style dishes like pasta and steak, making it easy to fill his plate without hesitation.

Even more surprising, every dish was as delicious as something from a decent restaurant.

Sion sat down at an empty table and was about to start eating.

“Hey, Sion. Look over there.”

“Huh?”

“Two tables behind you. You see those fancy-looking students?”

“Oh… yeah, I see them.”

Sion turned to look behind him.

At a nearby table, four or five students were dining together.

Their elegant manners and refined demeanor made it seem like they were in a high-end restaurant.

The standout among them was a girl seated in the center of the group.

Her snow-white hair seemed almost divine.

The way she smiled shyly and conversed was like something out of a movie.

She personified the very image of a “noble.”

“She’s one of the famous students from the magic department. She’s from the Farewell family, a highly esteemed magical lineage.”

“The Farewell family?”

“…Do you seriously not know anything? They’re one of the three great mage families of the empire.”

Patrick went on to explain.

The empire was home to three colossal mage families:

The Demurniza Family, said to have the blood of a great dragon.

The Dercycle Family, founded by the creator of the White Tower.

The Farewell Family, known for consistently producing court mages.

“Her name is Estroza Farewell. Even within the Farewell Marquisate, she’s highly regarded, though she’s from a branch family.”

“I see…”

“Look at them—gathered with other nobles already. At least count-level families, minimum.”

It was a scene Sion would never have encountered at a South Korean university.

He had heard that heirs of conglomerates often knew each other from a young age, but seeing it so openly felt surreal.

“Hey, stop staring so obviously!”

“Oh.”

Perhaps she had noticed his gaze.

Estroza Farewell’s white eyes blinked as she looked his way, her expression curious.

Feeling embarrassed, Sion quickly bowed his head in greeting.

Fortunately, she smiled softly and nodded back.

However, the other nobles at her table also glanced toward him, prompting Sion to hurriedly focus on his meal again.

Sion didn’t want to become the subject of rumors on the very first day of school.

“…Patrick, isn’t this a bit much?”

“What is?”

“Moving to another seat like that. Was that really necessary?”

Patrick, who had been sitting across from Sion, had quietly shifted to a diagonal seat.

To an outsider, it might look like they weren’t even acquaintances.

Patrick had already moved before Estroza had even glanced their way.

“I have to look out for myself.”

“You traitor.”

Sion felt slightly betrayed by Patrick.

Though he quickly forgot about it when Patrick bought him ice cream as a dessert.

The next day.

Patrick and Sion walked through the forest.

“How big is this academy, anyway?”

“No idea. From what I’ve heard, it’s about the size of a small city. There’s no detailed map of the Byzantine Academy.”

“…That’s a little scary.”

The reason they were walking along a dirt trail without vegetation was to attend a lecture.

‘Who even holds a class in a place like this?’

Today’s classroom was located deep in the mountains next to the academy.

It wasn’t just that the class was being held in the mountains—the classroom itself was in the mountains.

The absurdity of it all was enough to make Sion feel mentally drained.

“That must be it. The cabin.”

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The place they arrived at looked like a cabin where someone might live.

It was hard to believe this was supposed to be a lecture hall.

Still, there were a few familiar faces—other first-year magic students—so it seemed they were in the right place.

“Hey, Sion. Look around. Doesn’t it seem like there are fewer people than there should be?”

“It’s probably just orientation, so some people figured skipping wouldn’t hurt.”

“…Should we have skipped too?”

“Shh. The professor’s coming out.”

Creak.

The wooden door of the cabin opened.

The first-year students, who had been chatting, fell silent as all eyes turned toward the door.

What emerged was none other than an elf.

‘Wow… they really exist. Elves.’

It was exactly like something out of a fantasy novel or game.

Long ears, golden hair, and emerald-green eyes.

The elf looked just as Sion had always imagined.

There was only one problem.

‘…Why does she look so shabby?’

The elf emerging from the cabin wore a tattered tank top and short shorts.

Her hair was greasy, as if it hadn’t been washed, and her disheveled appearance was accentuated by dark circles under her eyes.

She looked so unwell that Sion couldn’t help but wonder if she was sick.

“…Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Patrick whispered cautiously to Sion.

It was hard to believe this person was a professor.

The elf lazily scanned the students with half-closed eyes before finally speaking.

“I-I’ll… call roll now.”

“…?”

“G-Gagarin, student?”

“Here!”

Roll call began abruptly.

The elf stuttered, and her voice was so quiet that it was hard to hear over the sounds of birds and rustling leaves.

Sion found the whole situation baffling.

‘Why start roll call when not everyone’s here yet…?’

He glanced around.

Only about ten students were present.

Considering there had been over twenty students in Professor Rhonda Magrette’s class, nearly half were absent.

Even so, the elf calmly finished roll call.

When she finished, she wiped the sweat from her brow, looking oddly pleased with herself.

But her next words left everyone in shock.

“A-absent students will… be marked absent.”

“…What? Marked absent?”

“Ah.”

“Do you… have a problem with that? If so, please speak up! I’ll listen. Uh… Sion, right? Why?”

Caught off guard, Sion instinctively responded to his name.

The elf stared straight at him, and so did the other students.

“N-no. Nothing…”

“O-okay… If you ever have a problem, please! Let me know right away. Now, let’s start class, okay? Hehe.”

Having the lecture take place in an isolated cabin deep in the woods was strange enough.

But the elf professor, smiling brightly for no apparent reason, made it even stranger.

“Just so you know, my class starts right away from week one. That’s because there’s sooo much to learn, and we can’t waste any time. Right?”

“Hehe, let’s get started…”

While every other class ended orientation early, this elf professor boldly announced a full lecture.

Her unnervingly cheerful smile had a strange intensity, leaving not a single student able to smile back.

Sion felt the same.

‘…This is bad.’

Four years of undergrad and two years as a graduate student had honed Sion’s instincts.

And they were screaming at him now.

The elf professor in front of him was truly “dangerous.”